BEIRUT: Army personnel detained Friday an Egyptian man accused of illicitly selling a mobile phone line to a suspect in the recent kidnapping case of a 12-year-old boy.

“Through an expanded probe into the abduction of Mohammad Awada, the directorate [of Intelligence] detained Feb. 27 Egyptian Mohammad Sayyed Zaki Sayyed Fidawi, who owns a mobile phone store in Shiyah, for selling a suspect in the kidnapping [case] a mobile phone line without legal identification documents,” an Army statement said.

Interrogations with Fidawi revealed that he had a history of selling phone lines to customers wishing to conceal their identities. Awada, 12, was abducted last month outside his home in Moseitebeh while waiting for the school bus. He was released five days later, after his parents reportedly paid a $250,000 ransom.

“The Army warns mobile phone-shop owners against violating the law by failing to request identification documents from customers that prove [their] identities. Otherwise they will face legal prosecution given [the impact] such violations have on security and stability,” the statement said.